Auxiliary air-inlet device for internal-combustion engines.



E. H. & H. H. ASHLOOK.

AUXILIARY AIR INLET DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOW 19, 1913.

1,120,118, Patented Dec. 8,1914

Attorneys WTTED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

ERNEST H. ASHLOGK AND HENRY H. ASHLOGK, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

AUXILIARY AIR-INLET DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

Application filed November 19, 1913. Serial No. 801,910.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ERNnsT H. AsnLocK, and HENRY H. AsHLooK, citizens of the United States, residing, at San Diego, in the county of San Diego and State of California, have invented a new and useful Auxiliary Air-Inlet Device for Internal- Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an attachment for internal combustion engines and more particularly to a device for supplying either cold or heated air to the inlet manifold beyond the carbureter.

A further object is to providean attachment to be secured to the fuel inlet manifold of an internal combustion engine so that by the manually operating of a lever or valve, warm or cold air can be supplied to the engine.

A further object is to provide a fuel inlet manifold air supplying device which will automatically open for the supplying of air to the engine when the latter is traveling at high speed and will automatically close when the speed of the engine is materially lessened.

Vtith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of What is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings accompanying this speci- 4 fication and forming a part thereof, the

preferably form of our invention is illustrated, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an internal combustion engine with our im- 4 proved device attached to the fuel inlet manifold thereof. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of the device.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 3

is an internal combustion engine and is pro- .vided with the usual fuel inlet manifold 4 and exhaust manifold 5. The fuel inlet manifold 4 is as illustrated in Fig. 2, provided with an opening 6 extending therethrough and with which opening my i1nproved device communicates.

An elbow 7 is externally threaded at one end as at 8 and to which is secured the yoke 9. The yoke 9 embraces the fuel inlet manifold 4 therebetwecn and is held rigidly thereto by the curved bolt 10. The extreme end of the elbow 7 is beveled as at 11 and effects an air-tight joint with the side walls of the opening (3 of the fuel inlet manifold. The remote end of the elbow 7 is also externally threaded as at 12 and to which is secured the valve chamber or casing 13.

The valve casing 13 is provided with the lower restricted opening 1 1 extending therethrough and in which is slidably positioned the valve 15. The valve 15 comprises the head 16 which is adapted to seat upon the sides adjacent the opening 1% of the valve casing and effect a tight joint therewith. The valve also includes the spider 17 which guides the valve in its axial or longitudinal movements and at the same time provides for the proper opening being effected and also in the present instance provides that the area of opening of the valve is dependent upon the height the valve is raised. A spring 18 is positioned within the valve casing, and rests upon the upper portion of the valve head, it being prevented from shifting laterally or transversely thereof, due to the fact that the head is provided with the upstanding projection 19, around which the coiled spring 18 extends. The upper extremity of the spring is held in place and bears against the annular washer 20 which in turn is held in place and rests against the extremity of the elbow 7 Thus the area of opening of the valve will be dependent upon the pressure within the valve casing so that the amount of air admitted to the fuel inlet manifold El: will be dependent upon the vacuum existing therein.

A nut 21 threadedly engages the end 12 of the elbow and with a washer 22 effects a tight joint between the elbow and valve casing. The lower extremity of the valve casing is externally threaded as at 23 and to which is secured the air chamber and mechanical valve casing 2 1. The casing 24 is, as illustrated in the drawings, circular in cross sectional contour and in which is pivotally mounted the butterfly valve 25. The butterfly valve is pivoted upon an axis entending centrally through the valve cas- The air chamber or mechanical valve casing 24: is provided with the threaded sleeves 28 and 29 communicating therewith and which are so arranged that either one of which may be brought into communication with the valve chamber 13, provided that the valve 15 be open, or so that both of the said sleeves may be closed out of communication therewith. The threaded sleeve 29 communicates with a pipe coil 30 which latter is wound about the exhaust manifold 5 and with its remote end open to the atmosphere so that any air entering the casing 24: through the coil 30 will be suitably heated. 'lhe oppositely disposed sleeve 28 communicates with the pipe 31 which latter is in direct communication with the atmosphere so that air entering therein will be at atmospheric temperature.

In operation, the valve vane 32 which constitutes the moving member of the butterfly valve is positioned as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 2, when the engine is being started.

In the said position, both of the air inlets are closed irrespective of the position of the automatic valve 15. When the engine has been started and is running under normal conditions, the valve vane will be turned so that heated air will be supplied to the fuel inlet manifold if it is a cold day and will be turned in the opposite direction if the day be warm. Thus upon a cold day, heated air will be supplied to the fuel inlet manifold to provide a more combustible mixture of gases and to also maintain the engine at the proper temperature. Likewise upon warm days, the vane will be turned to its opposite position so that cold air will be supplied to the fuel inlet manifold to prevent excessive heating of the engine and to also form a more combustible mixture of fuel gases. llhus the device is adapted to regulate and govern the temperature of the motor and also due to the automatic valve willeffect a considerable saving in fuel.' When the engine is turning slowly such as will occur when'a steep grade is encountered and the engine laboring hard, the vacuum produced within the valve casing 13 will be insufficient to overcome the force of the spring 18 so that a rich mixture will be fed to the engine in order that it may properly and successfully negotiate the said grade. However, when the engine is laboring under light loads and the speed thereof rises, the vacuum necessarily produced within the fuel inlet manifold will overcome the resiliency of the spring 18 to raise the valve 15 so that either cold or heated air will be supplied to the fuel inlet manifold so that a considerable saving in fuel will be efl'ected. lfn this connection it is pointed out that the area of opening of the valuve 15 being dependent upon the vacuum within the fuel inlet manifold, the amount or quantity of air supplied to the engine will also be proportional to the speed of rotation thereof. I

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim is 1., An automatic auxiliary air inlet device for internal combustion engines comprising a valve casing communicating with an inlet manifold and with the atmosphere, an automatic valve disposed within said casing, means for controlling'the area of opening of said valve so as to be dependentupon the difference in pressure between the inlet,

manifold and atmospheric pressures, a manually operated valve disposed within said casing and communicating with the automatic valve, andmeans for supplying cool and heated air to said casing, said air selected and controlled by said manually operable a 1 2. An air controlling and'supplying device for the inlet manifolds of internal combustion engines comprising a valve casing, a spring controlled valve positioned therein with the area of opening of said valve depending upon the pressure within said valve casing, an air chamber in communication with said valve, hot and cold air inlets communicated with said air chamber, and a manually operated valve disposed within said air chamber adapted to swing into communication with the said automatic valve.

3. A device of the class described comprising a valve casing, a valve slidably disposed therein, a spring engaging said valve and holding the same normally in a closed position, means carried by the said valve for guiding the same in its axial movements and providing that the area of opening of the valve will be dependent upon the displacement thereof from its normal position, said valve casing communicating with the fuelinlet manifold of an internal combustion engine,an air chamber communieating with said valve casing, a butterfly valve disposed within said air chamber, two air inlets communicating with said air chamber, means for heating the air entering through one of the said air inlets, said butterfiy adapted to open and close the said air inlets.

1,1ao,11e a:

gitudlinal movements and providing that the area of opening thereof will be dependent upon the pressure within said valve casing, an air chamber communicating with the said valve, :1 vane valve member pivotally mounted therein, hot and cold airsupplving pipes communicating with said air chamber, said vane rotating in front of one of said air inlets to close the same, simultaneously open- It ing the other of said air inlets, said vane further adapted to close both of said air inlets.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST H. ASHLOCK. HENRY H. ASHLOCK. Nitnesses FERDINAND ARTYNE, D. B. RICHARDS. 

